Is Spanking Effective?

By Nick Burt, MA, LMFT

Should you spank your kids? Is spanking effective? What is the harm in spanking children? These are common questions that parents struggle with. I will offer you my opinion, supported by corroborative research.

I am an advocate of spanking. There, I said it. Grab your pitchforks and torches. Actually wait, don’t. First at least read what I have to say.

I believe that there is a place for spanking in a parent’s toolbox, but it should be one of the last tools you grab, not the first, and certainly not the most often.

Larzelere & Kuhn (2005), found that spanking was only less effective than other means of punishment, when used excessively, or as the primary disciplinary method. They found that “conditional spanking, led to better child outcomes than 10 of 13 disciplinary tactics, generally with 2- to 6- year-old children.”

This shows, what I have long believed, that the best use of spanking is to enforce more mild forms of discipline when kids are being defiant. I believe that children are more willing to comply and learn from milder discipline, when they understand that not doing so, could lead to a swat on the bottom.

Let’s be clear here, this study and others cited, are referring to a simple spanking. They are not referring to using a belt or other object. They are not referring to multiple strikes, accompanied by angry threats or yelling. It is not supporting what amounts to abusing your child. The most important tools a parent has are love, listening, and consistency. If you are going to spank your child, do not do it out of anger, do not do it when you are at your absolute limit. With a calm heart, use it as a tool to let the child know that their behavior is unacceptable. Afterwards, talk to your child about what happened. Process the experience with them, so they have a chance to learn from it. It’s about having more tools in your toolbox.

Spanking bans, or criminalization of it, eliminate a potential resource parents have, which can weaken the effectiveness of other disciplinary measures. As I said, I am not advocating turning to spanking in every situation. Would you use a screwdriver to hammer a nail? Maybe, but it would not be effective. A screwdriver is best in certain situations.

Roberts and Powers (1990) conducted a study on enforcing time outs. They found that the two-swat spank was as effective as the barrier method for enforcing traditional times outs. The barrier method being a time out in the bedroom. The spank method worked with the barrier method didn’t, and vice versa. 3 tools, used when appropriate, to support the others.

So, if spanking can be an effective tool, can I go spank my 16 year old because he broke curfew. Well, you could, but they’ll likely just laugh at you. It’s also important to note, that age seems to matter in the effectiveness of non-abusive spanking. Larzelere, R. E. (as cited by Larzelere, 2007), found that the most benefit was for children up to age 6, and was less effective, and perhaps even detrimental for children 7 and up.

There are a lot of people who are opposed to spanking. To them, I say, don’t spank. Ultimately, this decision should not be made by anyone but you, and the other parent (if applicable). If you don’t like spanking, don’t do it. If you believe it can be helpful, use it sparingly, and don’t forget the love. Still, I would be remiss if I did not address some of the controversy surrounding the idea.

One study, often referenced by anti-spanking advocates, is that of Dr. Elizabeth Gershoff. According to Larzelere, “65% of its studies are contaminated by overly severe measures of corporal punishment (e.g., beatings, slapping the face), which limits its ability to determine the outcomes of nonabusive spanking.”

Another issue with this study, is that her meta-analytic statistics can’t tell which causes which. That is, does spanking lead to more anti-social behavior, or does more anti-social behavior lead to parents spanking more? Chickens, eggs, you know the drill. It should be noted that “Gershoff acknowledges the causal inconclusiveness of her meta-analysis as its “first and foremost” limitation (p. 550).”

Some argue that spanking will lead to children developing mental health disorders, or behavior problems. Well, Larzelere (2007) refers to a review of relevant literature by Paolucci & Violato (2004), in which they conclude: “corporal punishment does not substantially increase the risk to youth of developing affective, cognitive, or behavioral pathologies” (p. 197).

As noted in the New York Times (2001), in a talk given at the annual meeting of the APA, Dr. Diana Baumrind stated The scientific case against the use of normative physical punishment is a leaky dike, not a solid edifice.” She stated that the studies often don’t distinguish well between the effects of spanking from non-abusive parents, vs the impact of several physical abuse.

Some cite laws that have banned spanking, and how it has been successful in lowering physical child abuse. Larzeler and Johnson (1999) reviewed all available evidence regarding such a law in Sweden and found that “There was no evidence that any measure of physical child abuse had decreased as a result of the spanking ban.”

In conclusion, you are not a bad parent simply because you spank. You are not a better parent because you choose not to. Good parents are those that love their children, and give their best in raising them. Use all the tools at your disposal, be consistent, listen to what they have to say, and let them know how much you love them.

More reading:

If you are a giant nerd, and have lots of time on your hands, I refer you to this PDF file summarizing Larzeler’s work regarding spanking:

http://humansciences.okstate.edu/facultystaff/Larzelere/nztabconts.47.pdf

References:

1. Larzelere, R. E., & Kuhn, B. R. (2005). Comparing child outcomes of physical punishment and alternative disciplinary tactics: A meta-analysis. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 8 (1), 1-37. http://www.springerlink.com/content/k0x4468k255187qg/
2. Larzelere, R. E. (1996). A review of the outcomes of parental use of nonabusive or customary physical punishment. Pediatrics, 98(4), 824-831.
3. P Baumrind, D., Larzelere, R. E., & Cowan, P. A. (2002). Ordinary physical punishment: Is it harmful? Comment on Gershoff (2002). Psychological Bulletin, 128, 580-589.
4. Roberts, M. W., & Powers, S. W. (1990). Adjusting chair timeout enforcement procedures for oppositional children. Behavior Therapy, 21, 257-271.
5.  Larzelere, R. E., & Johnson, B. (1999). Evaluations of the effects of Sweden’s spanking ban of physical child abuse rates: A literature review. Psychological Reports, 85, 381-392.
6. http://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/25/us/findings-give-some-support-to-advocates-of-spanking.html

Image source:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/176329-how-to-discipline-your-child-without-yelling-or-spanking/